I spent the day at Santee Lakes Recreation Preserve to get some fresh air, relax, and check it all out for my followers! There are many fun things to do here, whether you are just spending the day, or planning an overnight camping trip.
So, Let’s start with just spending the day here. I started by heading to the General Store to pick up a map and information and pricing on the campground as well as fishing license prices, info on the fish they stock in the 7 man-made lakes and pedal boat rentals to cruise around the lake.
The pedal boats are $17 to rent for 30 minutes and 30 minutes is a nice bit of time once you are on the boat. This makes for fun and really good leg exercise! Kids must be at least 1 year old to ride with a parent and you must be at least 18 years old to rent a pedal boat. Everyone must wear a life vest on the boats.
You can pick up a fishing license here at the General Store to fish for the day or if you are staying in the campgrounds and fishing during your camping trip. It is legally required to fish. They stock these man made lakes with Largemouth Bass ( catch and release only for this fish), Channel Catfish, Rainbow Trout, Bluegill, and Common Carp.
Here are the current license prices to fish:
I picked up my map and sheets of information and a small brown bag of duck food to feed the ducks and the headed out to check out the new restaurant next to the General Store. The last time I was here, there was no place to eat, so this is a real treat for both daytime visitors and guests staying at the campgrounds. The Tin Fish Restaurant and Oyster Bar serves breakfast, lunch , and dinner and is open from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm daily with a 4000 square foot outdoor covered deck to eat on. There is no indoor seating but the deck had shade and a breeze with a view of the lake. I chose the smaller 3 piece Fish and Chips meal, which was a lot of food and very filling. The fish pieces were large with a crispy tasty batter served with criss cross french fries and coleslaw. I asked for Ranch dressing as I don’t like tarter sauce and they happily obliged my request. The staff was friendly and knew the menu well.
Next, I drove around to check out the areas that you can rent for a party which include large covered gazebos, horseshoe pits, the volleyball court, several different picnic and party areas both by lake 1 and by Sprayground splash area for kids and in the back area. They have playground equipment throughout for kids and a path across a bridge that heads to an island set up with lots of picnic tables perfect for your private party, wedding reception or large family gathering. There are 22 different areas you can choose from to rent spread out from Lake 1 to Lake 5. All of the normal picnic areas are no charge to use for a normal picnic but reserving an area for a special event or large party is a good idea. You can also get a permit for music at your event or to have a bouncy house for the day.
“Sprayground”is the fun cool and refreshing splash zone water area for kids under age 11 to use. On this hot day, I found myself wishing they had an Adult Splash Zone! Sprayground is located at the back of Lake 1 and is $2 per child Mondays through Fridays and $3 on the weekends.
There are lots of shady areas to fish, have a picnic or just read a book. Picnic tables are everywhere, but you can also bring your own comfy camping chairs or a blanket for the kids to spread out and play on the grass areas.
Next, I drove on the Lake 6 and Lake 7, which are reserved exclusively for registered campers.
I noticed I got wifi all the way until Lake 6 and then it cut out until I reached Lake 7, so check that out before you choose your campsite! You can use their basic wifi for free if you are camping here or upgrade to a deluxe wifi if you need to work while here online or just want video or music streaming or uploading photos. Campsites # 169-300 at the back of the grounds have basic cable connections on the pedestals included with major networks and Fox. You would need a cable hookup on your travel trailer. All of the campsites include electric hookups and clean water hookups and all of the sites I saw appeared to have sewage hookups right at your campsite.They also have a dump station. Each campsite includes a cement picnic table and a parking spot for your vehicle.
Some have a lot of nice shade, grassy areas or a river so write down your favorite spots before making reservations if you are local and can cruise by long before your planned camping trip. There is a nice pool for the campers,a spa, a laundry room, and a clubhouse. There are designated fire pits, and golf carts available to rent. You must have a valid driver’s license to drive the golf carts. You can put up a screened in picnic shade tent by your site.
The campgrounds looked clean and peaceful with lots of grassy areas and shade.
There are 3 floating cabins available to rent on lake 7 which are actually floating on top of the lake and accessible by a dock bridge. Along the back of that lake are 7 more cabin rentals on the shoreline. Cabins are $144 Sundays through Thursdays and $189 Fridays and Saturdays. Floating Cabins are slightly more at $164 and $209. No pets are allowed in the cabins at any time. There is a Pet Walk area to take your dogs potty. Dogs must be leashed at all times outside of your RV.
My day at Santee Lakes made me feel refreshed and relaxed. This is a good family place to come for the day and to go camping locally. I hope you will check it out if you have never been here and come back o check out the new improvements if you haven’t been here in awhile! Enjoy!
